Journal lubricator



July 2, 1946. w. J. FrrzslMMoNKs 2,402,953 JOURNAL LUBRI-CATOR Filed June 7, 1944 y2 sheets-'sheet J1 July-2, 1946. vw. J. FITZSIMMoNs 2,492,953 JOURNAL LUBRI'cAToR I 2l 'sheets-sheet 2' Filed June 7, 1944 Patented July 2, 1,946

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE `IOURNAL LUBRICATOR William J Fitzsimmons, Chicago, IllT Application June '7, 1944, Serial No. 539,047

4 Claims. l

My invention relates to journal lubricators adapted particularly for use in railway operation for lubricating the journals on the axles of railway passenger cars, freight cars and trucks, or on other rolling stock. The invention relates particularly to the type of journal lubricatorsin which lubricator rolls immersed in lubricant within the journal box are resiliently held against the journal for distribution of the lubricant on the journal when the axle revolves.

An important object of the invention is to provide improved means for accurately and intimately holding the rolls against the journal surface throughout the extent of the rolls for uniform delivery of the lubricant to the journal surface throughout the extent thereof.

A further object is to provide an arrangement in which the rolls are of less axial length than the journal to be lubricated but are spring suspended to be held intimately parallel with and against the journal surface but free to oscillate axially so as to evenly distribute lubricant over the entire extent of the journal surface.

Still another object is to mount the rolls for rotation on a rigid carriage which is suspended by springs in the journal box below the journal butwith the rolls held up against the journal surface by the springs with the carriage free to respond to inertia or a side-swatr of the axle truck frame to apply the rollers to the journal surface the full axial extent thereof for the application of lubricant.

Still another object is to provide an arrangement in which the suspension springs for the carriage function in parallel directions for maintaining the roll axes at al1 times parallel with the journal axis.

Still another object is to anchor the springs at their upper ends to the opposite sides of the bearing brass which engages the top of the journal, and to attach the springs at their lower ends to rods adapted to be applied to the opposite sides of the carriage for suspension of the carriage with the rolls thereon in engagement with the underside of the journal.

Still another object is to provide a journal lubricating assembly which can be readily installed in service position and as readily removed.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detail specification in connection with the drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the end of a truck side frame showing the journal box therein partly broken away to show the lubricator assembly;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on plane II-II Figure l with the lubricator assembly in service position;

Figure 3 is a similar section showing the lubricator roll carriage disconnected from its support;

Figure 4 is a section on plane IV-IV Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the roll carriage; and

vFigure 6 is a perspective view of a corner of the bearing brass showing a manner of connecting the carriage supporting structure thereto.

Figure 1 shows the journal box'J supported in service between the upper and lower frame members I0 and i l of a truck side frame, the journal box being detachably secured as by means of bolts E2 extending through the side frame Walls and the upper` and lower flanges I3 and I4 on the box. The inner wall I5 of the box has the passageway iii therethrough for receiving the end of the axle ,Il for projection of the journal end I8 into the box. The opening I9 in the outer end of the box is closable by a lid 20. The journal wedge 2l abutting the inner side of the upper wall 22 of the journal box is held in alinement by the side walls 23, the wedge receiving the bearing 24 which is held in alinernent by the Wedge and by engagement of its side flanges 25 with the side walls 23 of the box, as shown on Figure 4. The bearing 24 has the bearing lining 24 of suitable material such as Babbitt metal.

The lubricator assembly comprises a carriage C having front and rear metal side walls or plates 2l spaced apart in parallel relation by a pair of parallel bars 28 extending through openings 29 in the walls and rigidly secured thereto as by means of pins 30, the bars and the walls thus forming a rigid carriage frame or structure. The bars 28 may be tubular, as shown on Figure 4, and these bars are received in the bores 3l of lubricator rolls 32 which extend between the walls 26 and 2l. These rolls could be directly journaled on the bars, but preferably anti-friction bearings such as ball bearings 33 are interposed between the bars and the ends of the rolls, as clearly shown on Figure 5.

kThe ends of the carriage walls 26 and 2l have in their undersides notches or recesses 34 and 35 for receiving the rods 36 and 3l, respectively, which rods may be of solid cylindrical forrn or, as shown, may be formed up of sheet metal to U-shape cross-section. Portions of the metal of the wall of each rod are deflected upwardly to provide anchorage hooks 38 for the lower ends oi tension springs 39, a pair `of such hooks being provided on each rod. Flexible links l0 extend from the upper ends of the springs and are anchored at their upper ends preferably on the bearing 2&3. As shown, the links 40 are in the form of lengths of chain which at their upper ends are anchored to pins #il extending through openings d2 provided in the anges 25 of the bearing 24. These pins are located in the flanges so that the chain links ll'may extend down inwardly of the outer faces of the flanges so as to clear the journal box side walls 23.V

When the lubricator assembly is in service position, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the rods c 35 andv3'l are in engagement with the hook ends of the carriage walls, the springs 39 being tensed to hold the roll 32 intimately against the journal I8 for rotation of the rolls with the journal, the rolls being partially immersed in the lubricant L in the bottom of the journal box so as to deliver this lubricant to the journal surface for lubrication thereof.

The springs are dimensioned to exert equal pull on the rods and the carriage C so that the rolls are held with uniform pressure against the journal. Furthermore, the spring including connections between the bearing and the rods are parallel and the rolls are shorter than the axial length of the journal whereby, upon axial oscillation of the carriage in response to inertia or sidesway of the axle, the roll axes will at all times remain parallel with the axis of the journal and will distribute the lubricant uniformly to the journal along the full axial extent thereof.

My improved lubricator assembly may be readily installed in the journal box before the box is mounted on the truck side frame. As shown on Figure 3, the carriage C is first placed in the bottom of the box, and the box with the journal wedge 2i, and the bearing 24 with the rods 36 and 31 suspended therefrom, is then slipped over the journal i8 and into service position on the truck side frame to be secured by the bolts l2, By suitable tools, one side of the carriage is raised for reception in its slots of the ends of the rod 36 and then the other side of the carriage is raised for reception in its slots of the ends of the rod 3l so that the carriage will then be suspended in service position as shown on Figures 1, 2 and 4. Lubricant is then poured into the bottom of the journal'box to the desired level. My improved lubricator assembly can thus be readily installed in standard type journal boxes in place of waste packing which has been generally used as the medium for delivering lubricant from the bottom of the journal box to the journal.

The lubricator rolls could be of metal or of non-metallic material, or of composite structure having wicking qualities. The rolls might be made of canvas and varnish or of other materials which would insure the necessary strength and would be proof against deterioration by the lubricant.

Means are provided for sealing against leakage of the lubricant out of the inner end of the journal box. As shown, the inner wall l of the box `has the rectangular recess 43 therein for receiving a sealing washer 44 of felt or other suitable material, this washer intimately receiving the end portion 45 of the axle inwardly of the journal end i8. The space 43 communicates through the opening 46 with the interior of the journal box, and a metal ring 41 is frictionally secured on the axle portion 45 to abut the washer 44 and hold it across the opening IE to prevent outward leakage of lubricant and also to prevent the entrance of dust into the journal box.

My invention particularly lends itself to use with standard equipment having frictional bearings.

Moreover, while I have illustrated a box supported by a conventional arch bar it is equally well applicable to the more recent type of support known to the trade as a standard truck side frame.

One of the principal advantages of my invention is the elimination of the use of waste pack- CFI 'of the box.

ing which so frequently contributes to car setouts due to hot boxes caused by so called Waste grabs.

I have shown a practical and efficient embodiment of the features of my invention but I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement and operation shown and described as changes and modications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A bearing and lubricating assembly for the journal of an axle in a railway vehicle journal box, comprising a bearing element for mounting in the upper side of the box for bearing engagement with the journal, a lubricating roller supporting carriage below the journal having hook ends, rods engaging in said hook ends, suspension links extending downwardly from said bearing element at opposite sides of the journal and connected at their lower ends with said rods, said links including tension springs functioning to hold said carriage for pressure engagement of the rollers with the journal for feeding of lubricant from the bottom of the journal box to the journal.

2. A bearing and lubricating assembly for the journal of an axle in a railway vehicle journal box, comprising a bearing element for mounting in the upper side of the box for bearing engagement with the journal, a lubricating roller supporting carriage below the journal having hook ends, rods engaging in said hook ends, suspension links extending downwardly from said bearing element at opposite sides of the journal and connected at their lower ends with said rods, said links including tension springs functioning to hold said carriage for pressure engagement of the rollers with the journal for feeding of lubricant from the bottom of the journal box to the journal, said rollers being of less axial length than the journal and said links being parallel whereby upon relative axial movement of said rollers and journal said rollers will be held with uniform pressure against the journal for uniform distribution thereon of lubricant.

3. In a journal box assembly including a box having a journal therein with an outer hanged end spaced inwardly from the lower edge of an outer opening in the box and a bearing element on the top of the journal, a detachable lubricant device at the bottom of the journal comprising a carriage and a lubricating roll carried thereby, and detachable connecting means for oatingly suspending said device from said bearing element, said carriage when in attached position being spaced from the bottom of the box so that upon disengagement of said connecting means said device can fall to the bottom of the box said roll and carriage being of'a thickness less than the distance between said journal flanged end and the edge of said cuter opening whereby the roller can cle-ar the journal end flange for relative endwise movement with respect to said journal and for removal through said opening.

, 4, The structure of claim 3 further characterized by the connecting means including hookmeans detachably connecting the roll carriage to said bearing element and readily accessible through said box opening for detaching and dropping the roller and carriage to the bottom WILLIAM J. FITZSIMMONS. 

